ARTICLES ABOUT SHOWCASE BY DATE - PAGE 3

Latin culture and a local painter are the subjects of two upcoming art exhibits in Pembroke Pines. "Latin Fever" opens March 26 and runs through May 19 at City Hall's Glass Gallery, 10100 Pines Blvd. An opening reception from 7 to 9 p.m. April 1 will highlight the new exhibit, which will feature about 100 pieces from 30 artists, said Benoit Menasche, the city's art curator. "We did African heritage and now Latin heritage, so we want to show what art has to offer," Menasche said.

Palm Beach Gardens' Nick Theofilatos tapped into his football background to find success playing rugby. The 17-year-old junior at Jupiter High School, where he plays wide receiver on the varsity football team, is a member of the first-year Riviera Beach Maritime Academy Rugby Club in the Florida Youth Rugby Union. His rugby team was among the six high school division participants in the 38th annual Fort Lauderdale Ruggerfest tournament at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill.

Some history-makers visited a homemade museum at Village Academy recently to show students that important parts of America's black narrative took place just blocks away from their Delray Beach school. Among the groundbreakers on a recent day: Rosetta Rolle, a civic activist for the past 60 years, and Jacqueline Nobles, a Boynton Beach nurse with patents for three medical devices. The innovators visited the academy's Black History Museum, designed to commemorate Black History Month.

Lamont Snyder has a passion for more than just music, instruments, songs and a beat from the percussion section. In his 17 years at Hallandale High School, the Chargers band director has had a drive to create the very best futures for his students. "I try to reach as many [students] as I can," he said. "I have a passion for them. That's why I'm here. " Snyder has arranged trips, performances and competitions all over the state, including in Miami, Daytona and Orlando. But he's perhaps best known for his yearly trip to Atlanta for the Honda Battle of the Bands, which his students recently attended.

She was a socialite famous for her rollicking parties, then an accidental fashion designer known for simple dresses with loud, splashy patterns. Lilly Pulitzer's whimsical taste and love for fun was also clear in how colorfully she decorated her sprawling Palm Beach home, which she called "the Jungle" because of its lush, tropical grounds. The house was bursting with personality, from the turquoise front door marked with an "L" to the backyard that was home to a mini Statue of Liberty, cement alligators and a small army of potted plants.

The popular 12th Annual Coconut Creek Butterfly Run attracted a festive neighborhood crowd of more than 600 runners who were treated to ideal weather conditions at Sabal Pines Park. Mayor Becky Tooley and Vice Mayor Lisa Aronson wished the runners well at the starting line and congratulated them as they crossed the finish line. Andrae Drummonds was never challenged as he grabbed the top overall male championship slot with a time of 15:57. Matthew Marques took second (17:19), while Luis Souza had a close third-place showing (17:28)

Coconut Creek's Karly Ruskin finds a balance between flying through the air as a cheerleader and riding horses. "I think riding horses helps me because I am high on a horse, and here (at cheerleading) I am high in the air," said Ruskin, 10 and a fourth-grader at Tradewinds Elementary School. "I practice horseback riding two days a week and then do cheerleading three times a week. " Ruskin is a member of the Cheer Florida All-Stars Senior Level 2 cheerleading team that competed in the recent Ultimate State Bash at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton . The event was presented by Bash Spirit Cheer and Dance Company and featured 61 teams from around the state.

The hopes and dreams of playing professional soccer lay in the balance for more than 70 collegiate and international players at the 2014 Major League Soccer Player Combine at Lauderhill's Central Broward Regional Park. All of the players got the opportunity to showcase their skills through a series of matches over a six-day period. The coaching staffs of the 19 MLS organizations were on hand to scout, evaluate and interview the participants. The top NCAA college seniors, Generation Adidas selections and Youth International players earned an invitation to the combine and are eligible for the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.

The recent Mini Con in Plantation was more than just a comic book and anime fan's playground — it also raised money for a worthy cause. Founder Damien Marchione pledged 20 percent of all proceeds would go to Drops of Hope, which provides room makeovers for children battling cancer. Three youngsters (with a fourth upcoming) have gotten the living space of their dreams thanks to Mini Con over the last three years. "They've adopted us from the beginning," said Jonathan Stein, creative director of Drops of Hope.

Re-charging on a cruise has become something of an annual tradition for a group of eclectic artisans from the U.S. and other parts of the world, and this year, they're casting off from Fort Lauderdale. But before setting sail Sunday on Princess Cruises' 3,600-passenger Royal Princess for a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise, the group of about 20 artists and designers are showcasing their handiwork at a cruise wear trunk show at Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale-17th Street on Saturday.